Federation gets time to reply

KP IGP appointment

islamabad - The Islamabad High Court Wednesday granted time to federation to submit its reply in a petition challenging the appointment of Salahuddin Mehsood as new Inspector General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Aamer Farooq conducted hearing of the petition challenging the appointment of new IG of KP police and re-issued notices to KP government to submit its reply in this matter. During the hearing, the federation sought some time to submit its reply in the petition while the court was informed that no one has appeared before the court on behalf of provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Therefore, the court accepted the federal government’s plea of seeking time and deferred the hearing till April 13 by re-issuing the notices to KP government. Syed Akhter Ali Shah, Additional IG (Headquarters) KP Police who temporarily held the post of acting IG of the province after retirement of Nasir Khan Durrani has moved the petition through his counsel Barrister Masroor Shah and cited federation through Secretary Establishment Division, Deputy Secretary of Establishment Division, IG KP Salahuddin Mehsoon and government of KP through its chief secretary as respondents. In his petition, the petitioner adopted that the appointment of the Salahuddin is in violation of recent judgment of Supreme Court regarding unlawful promotions and the provisions of KP Police Ordinance, 2016.

His counsel informed the court that the newly notified IG Police was promoted in controversial 2016 Central Selection Board (CSB) whose proceedings were declared as null and void by Supreme Court.

Therefore, he argued that the incumbent IGP is a BPS 20 officer who cannot be appointed as IG as enunciated in Section 14 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Ordinance 2016. He added that under the law, only a BPS-21 or 22 officer of the police can be appointed as Provincial Police Officer (IGP). He continued that the purported new appointment of IG Police is not only contrary to the law, but also amounts to gross contempt of the judgments of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Therefore, he prayed to the court to set aside the appointment notification of IG by declaring the same as illegal, unlawful, unconstitutional, void ab initio and contrary to the ratio decidendi enunciated by the Supreme Court of Pakistan and this high court.

He also requested the court to direct respondent no 1 to appoint IGP/Provincial Police Officer, KP strictly in accordance with the law and the relevant rules.